Defeat

Talk in Florence and “Blitzkrieg” in Albania. The discussions were most satisfactory to the Italians. Ciano had feared that the Germans would come bearing “a cup of rue for our claims against France.” Soddu, perhaps reflecting Mussolini's fears, had despairingly told Roatta on 26 October that “Hitler will arrive in Florence in order to communicate the conditions of peace with France, already concluded.” Mussolini may have expected that Hitler's assurances on France would prove no more valid than those over Rumania.

Nothing of the sort happened. Hitler spoke soothingly of the “modest demands” of Italy and Germany, which the French, having expected worse, would surely accept. He insisted that he would never conclude peace with France without total satisfaction of Italian claims. Mussolini in return disparagingly conceded that the French could provide “passive cooperation” with the Axis. But he also pressed once more, in vain, for an immediate treaty. On Spain, Hitler temporarily conceded defeat. Franco was not true Führer material, and despite promises, had been “very vague” about when he would enter the war. Hitler and Mussolini nevertheless agreed to press for a meeting of all three dictators at which the Axis would announce with fanfare Spain's accession to Tripartite Pact and Pact of Steel, and its entry into the war. Hitler was cautious about the Soviets: he was just as mistrustful of Stalin “as Stalin was of him.” But to the Italians' great surprise and interest Hitler announced that Molotov would come to Berlin shortly for negotiations.